NU volleyball notebook: Werth watching big brother

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BY TODD HENRICHS / Lincoln Journal Star

Reminded that there was indeed a World Series game scheduled Monday night, Hannah Werth had to add some TV time to her homework schedule.

“Of course, I’m watching the game,” said Werth, the younger sister of Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth.

Until the postseason, Werth said she relied mostly on messages from her parents to keep track of big brother’s exploits. Jayson Werth had a career-high 36 home runs this season and homered twice in Game 3 of the Series on Saturday.

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Hannah Werth has put up some pretty impressive numbers of her own, leading Nebraska in kills in seven of the Huskers’ last nine matches. Werth is on a pace to join Sarah Pavan and Eileen Shannon as the only NU freshmen to average more than 3.0 kills per set.

Werth, however, said Monday that she doesn’t feel much like a freshman, even though Sunday marked only her 19th birthday.

“Beginning of the season, maybe,” Werth said, “but now I just feel like a volleyball player.”

Back to work

Barely 12 hours after Friday’s loss at Texas, the Huskers were back in the gym Saturday morning for practice. Their focus? Finishing off sets.

“I felt like our team fought very hard,” Werth said of the three-set loss to the unbeaten Longhorns. “There was a great lesson to take from that.”

The Huskers were first to 19 points in two of the three sets and trailed 20-19 in the other before Texas, specifically All-American Destinee Hooker, took command.

In Monday’s practice, NU coach John Cook rolled out his “Be the Woman” drill, in which specific Huskers had to make plays to score late in sets.

“We have a new outlook,” Werth said.

Big week in Ames

For the second time this season, the Huskers have dropped to No. 10 in the AVCA coaches’ poll. Iowa State, meanwhile, ascended to No. 8 just in time for the biggest week in Cyclone volleyball history.

Nebraska’s visit to Ames on Saturday would have been the first top-10 showdown at Hilton Coliseum were it not for Wednesday’s visit from No. 2 Texas.

“I’m excited to see what we can do,” Iowa State coach Christy Johnson-Lynch said Monday.

Iowa State is selling $1 tickets for the Texas match, and if they don’t break the school’s attendance record of 6,705, the Cyclones will surely shatter it  Saturday for the Huskers’ visit.

The match, which follows the Cyclones’ home football game against Oklahoma State, was pushed back to 8 p.m. at the request of Iowa State officials.

Reach Todd Henrichs at 473-7320 or thenrichs@journalstar.com.